Moonlighting: Three teachers' stories

For nearly eight months, Riverview High School teacher Jon Wilder has worked at least 24 hours per week at Costco Wholesale Club, sleeping about five hours each night.

Wilder, who has a master's degree and is paid $42,554 per year for his third year of teaching, says the pace is wearing him out, so he is trying to cut back on his store hours.

"It puts everybody in a difficult situation, but we're glad to be teachers," said Wilder, 63, who is paid about $11 an hour at Costco for his four-day a week shift. "We love our kids."

DANIELLE PITTS

Special education teacher Danielle Pitts runs a tutoring program after school and waitresses on Monday nights to pay off her student loans and bills.

She spends about $60 every month for pencils, papers and food for her students at Tuttle Elementary, where about 85 percent of the children receive free or reduced price lunches. This is her second year of teaching at the school, a job that pays $38,997.

"People have this stereotype in their head: Teachers work from 8 to 3 and then we're done when the bell rings," says Pitts, 30, who substituted after college until she had a full-time teaching position. "That's not the case at all."

MIKE BRZENZINSKI

Life gets hectic for Mike Brzezinski as he teaches physical education at Fruitville Elementary and works at a sporting goods store.

He tries to juggle his two jobs with his son's baseball games, his girlfriend and trips to the gym.

"It turns into a daily rat race out there — without the hustle and bustle of a big city. You're chasing the cheese every day," said Brzezinski, 36, who is paid $43,048 annually as a teacher and roughly $12 per hour at Sports Authority.